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Besides the role played by the political economy of the ancient Indian cities, the other factor which internally helped in the evolution of Jains as predominantly a business community was Jainism's emphasis on ahimsa. The practice of ahimsa led to the exclusion of the Jains "from all industrial trades endangering life, hence from all trade which made use of fire, involved work with sharp instruments (wood or stone work); from masonry; and in general from the majority of industrial callings” (Weber 1958: 199). Although there is no religious sanctions for doing agricultural work in Jainism, "various restrictions on its practice have been introduced on the basis of ahimsavrata" (Williams 1963: xxii).
Sociologically, one of the most important consequences of emphasis on ahimsa in Jainism was the evolution of the Jains as relatively an occupationally homogeneous community. This occupational homogeneity and specialization of Jains must be conceived as part of the process of functional integration within the wider system of division of labour in the Hindu society. This is so because except for religion, for all practical purposes, the Jains function as a caste or status group within the Hindu caste system. While ritually remaining outside the caste system Jains think themselves as equal, indeed superior, to Brahmins (Banks 1992: 253). In Gujarat state where Jains are highly concentrated, they along with Vaishnava Banias are regarded at the top of the social hierarchy (Panchanadikar and Panchanadikar 1970: 25). More or less similar situations obtain in other parts of India.
Jain community requires a whole range of anthropological/ sociological studies pertaining to its social structure, social stratification and social change both at micro and macro levels across India in different regional-linguistic settings. Thus for example, the caste system, a basic social structural unit of Indian society, though prevalent among the Jains has not been adequately studied (a few exceptions being Agarwal 1974, Banks 1942, Cort 2004). The scholars have named as many as 84 castes among the Jains, but in actuality the number of caste in a particular locality has perhap never exceeded a dozen or at the most two dozens. Numerous caste associations, their history and activities need to be documented in a more systematic manner than hitherto done.
Jains in India and Abroad
